[islandtrader]

My wife came in a said your truck is running...I said huh?

Sure enough we went down stairs and the thing was running with the parking lights on...a little research leads to the remote starter.

The weird part is I am second or third owner on this vehicle but I noticed on the original selling invoice the dealer installed a remote start. I have never used the remote and in fact took the battery out of it 3 years ago.

Any clues out there with what the hell happened? It sure the heck freaked us out :act018:

The truck is going in soon for a air bag light, that is most likely tied to the seat belt sensor. I think at this time I will have them yank the remote off.

 

[ridged]

I would just pull the fuse for the remote starter instead of removing it. I have no idea why it started... maybe some type of radio interference glitch type of thing?

 

[cccbock]

something in the neighborhood on the same frequency likely initiated the starter.

good thing the wife caught it. I would disable it.

 

[Dnick]

something in the neighborhood on the same frequency likely initiated the starter.

good thing the wife caught it. I would disable it.

Bingo... and if it happened once, it's likely to happen again. We've suffered this problem with both garage doors & ceiling fans over the years. Most remote systems have dip switches (or some newer tech equivalent) that allows you to change frequency if you find conflicts with the current setting.
If you plan on ever using it, you can look into that. Otherwise, disabling (fuse or whatever) is as good a solution as any.

 

[Peteyboy]

Yikes,,,, imagine if that happened in an enclosed garage. You might not wake up in the morning.

 

[islandtrader]

Now comes the really weird part:act060:

One day later (Saturday) at approx. the same time as the first time it started on its own. We were going out ...and I was walking down the steps and saw the parking lights on...sure as $hit the car was running...now my wife is freakin' out.

This is real strange...now we are trying to figure out what has changed since l parked it yesterday.

 

[islandtrader]

This is becoming a comedy now...sunday around 5:15 car started right up...I can't wait to see what happens today.

 

[Cree98]

This is becoming a comedy now...sunday around 5:15 car started right up...I can't wait to see what happens today.

Hire a priest or something lol, thats getting really weird!!! Did u remove the auto starter?


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Dnick]

Christine II! !

You may just have a "near-short" wiring situation there somewhere. Unless it's always at the same location (address) when it's self-starting..... in that case, it's likely the coincidental same-frequency neighbor thing.

 

[cccbock]

Assuming you have some kind of key fob that initiates the remote start, I would take the battery out of it to eliminate that as a possible malfunctioning culprit. If it continues, you know it is something else, either a neighbor or wiring in the starter circuit as Dnick suggested.

Lastly, it would not be unheard of to have a prankster (or worse) doing it that somehow got your frequency figured out. They do it with garage door openers all the time. Wait for the opportune time, then make off with your stuff.

 

[ridged]

Does this happen at around the same time of the day? Some of these units are fairly sophisticated and maybe it can be programmed to start on a schedule. I know you don't use the remote starter but maybe something (low battery, electrical issue) has triggered something like that.

You might also keep an eye on neighbors to see if someone is starting their vehicle at the same time.

 

[25 Year Honda Owner]

I believe I would disconnect the battery when the truck is not going to be used for several hours until the mystery is solved.

 

[islandtrader]

Mystery solved...but not fixed.:act060:

I found out that the security system "Viper" has a 24 hour start feature. After talking to someone that knows these systems well...he gave me some try this and that. If it still starts around the same time again today(monday) then bring it in and have it removed or tested.

Will keep everyone posted. Whatever the cause, it is not a good thing!:act047:

 

[Carsmak]

Yea, I'd hate to have that with my attached garage.

 

[islandtrader]

Took it into the dealer...they cut the power to the unit and pulled the inline fuse. Now no more worries and no more starts...still weird after 10 years...

 

[Mr Bigs]

if it was an aftermarket remote star it could have a low battery start program. DEI remote start systems have a programmable function that will start the vehicle if battery voltage drops below a preset voltage.

 

[islandtrader]

if it was an aftermarket remote star it could have a low battery start program. DEI remote start systems have a programmable function that will start the vehicle if battery voltage drops below a preset voltage.

Thats the common reply from everyone...It was not the battery...the battery is 1 year and when the battery was shot last year, nothing happened.

I think the electronic brain puked and thats end of story.

 

[Bogus919]

My generic viper system has a "cold weather" start feature that allows the truck to start every 4-6-8 hours and makes it run for 15 min, to keep the truck from getting too cold over an extended period of time in the Winter. Just tossing that out there for those who may have inadvertantly programmed their remote start to do this.

 

[zroger73]

Automatic start. Wow. What a dangerous feature that opens up huge doors of liability for the manufacturer.

 

[islandtrader]

The one thing I want to state again...I never used the remote starter(2 years)! The battery was pulled from the transmitter and basically I live in a remote area.

Maybe all the stars aligned and who knows what? We all have electronic gremlins and if a EMP ever hits...look out...LOL